He was working a full-time job he wasn’t passionate about and had no interest in working out. But when Josh Geary, fitness supervisor at the Lenexa Rec Center, became a dad — his desire for health, wellness and fitness became a priority.

"My kids were the spark for me to get back into shape," Josh said. “To be able to have fun with them and have a good quality of life — I want to be around for that.”

His motivation was more than being active to keep up with his kids. He wanted to be a healthy role model.

“I want to try to teach my kids that now so it can become part of their lifestyle,” Josh said. “As they get older, they won’t know another way. They will always have someone in their life who is active or motivating them to be active.”

Josh was working for a local sheet metal company in Kansas City when he became a part-time personal trainer at the Rec Center in 2017. He took on the second job as a trainer — working evenings — to better himself and the lives of his clients.

"Getting back into shape for my own health led me down that fitness avenue of finding that as a passion and sharing my story with people along the way,” Josh said. “It started with helping friends and then that transitioned into me wanting to explore this as a job."

When Josh realized fitness was becoming more than a healthy lifestyle, he decided to make a wholesome career out of it. He left the construction trade in 2020 when he got promoted to a full-time position with the City of Lenexa as a fitness supervisor.

“Wanting to transition to a full-time career in fitness came from the fulfillment I get from knowing that I helped make a difference in someone’s life," he said. “When you can watch someone feel and move better — that is priceless. I get to hear about how much our members enjoy our fitness classes and how those have made impacts on them. It makes me feel very proud of all the trainers and instructors we have that also get to experience this fulfillment.”

Regardless of the stage of life you’re in, Josh encourages everyone to be active.

"We only have one body, and we need to take care of it,” he said. “Our bodies are resilient so you can really start at any time. There's never a wrong time to start being active.”

But there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Fitness looks different to each person.

“Fitness doesn't have to be in the gym,” he said. “It can be at home. It can be outside. It can be at the park for all that matters. Just making sure that you're dedicating some time to yourself to be healthy.”

The golden rule is to write down your fitness activity.

“When I first started working out, I logged every workout in a notebook,” Josh said. “I would write down the exercise, weight used, sets/reps, and how I felt the next day. This helped me know what was working and what wasn’t. If you don’t have a plan, make one and write everything down because you will forget.”

More than working out, Josh continues to find new ways to grow as a leader. This year, he is participating in the Lenexa Leadership Foundations Academy, a partnership between the City of Lenexa Human Resources Department and Park University — Lenexa City Center Campus, where he and several other staff members from across various City departments, study Lenexa-specific policies and practices and leadership soft skills over a six-month period.

"This opportunity provided me the chance to meet other people that work for Lenexa that are leaders throughout the organization,” he said. “The topics we talked about and books we were given helped us find our own way of being the best leaders we can be.”

In his current supervisory role, Josh strives to empower his team by providing them with the resources and tools they need to do their work effectively and efficiently.

“I'm trying to really encourage them to take initiative to handle situations that they need to because they know that in any situation, I'm going to have their back and support them and help coach them along the way,” he said.

For those interested in a career in the fitness industry, Josh says you must be motivated for the right reasons.

"You have to want to be there to help people make a change and make an impact on their life,” he said. “You have to be adaptable and versatile to be able to change on the fly. You may have a class plan laid out and ready to go but you come in that day and that person, that small group, or a few people in class aren’t able to do some of those things so you have to come up with a new plan.“

Josh lives in Merriam, Kan., with his two sons, Xander and Jacoby. Outside of work, he enjoys visiting different parts of the Kansas City metro, trying new restaurants and going to concerts.